Car seal



Nov. 8, 1955 G. a. CANTER CAR SEAL Filed Dec. 26, 1951 F/G. /0 20, l

w I @4/ 26 25 L /4 a 2 INVENTOR. /5 George 6 Can/er l6 Afforneys nited States Patentfiice Patented Nov. 8, 1955 CAR SEAL George G. Canter, New York, N. Y.

Application December 26, 1951, Serial No. 263,349

2 Claims. 01. 292 323) This invention relates to seals, more particularly to that type generally designated as car seals which are used to protect goods in transit in freight cars, trucks and various other kinds of locked containers.

In the making of car seals, which are destroyed after a single use, cost is a very important factor since to meet competitive conditions and satisfy purchasers they must be sold at the present time, for less than a cent a piece. At the same time, no sacrifice in the degree of protection afforded by the seal is permissible.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a seal affording as much protection as any now available, which can be manufactured very inexpensively on fully automatic machinery by stamping and bending operations without necessitating any hand assembly, which is formed entirely of sheet metal and which may be made in one piece.

The invention will best be understood from the following description of the present preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan of the flat blank from which the seal is made before any forming operations have been performed thereon in its actual size in the original drawings;

Fig. 2 is a similar view on an enlarged scale showing the upper end of the blank partially formed;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 shows the locking tongue folded over onto th top half of the seal;

Fig. 6 shows the top half folded over on the bottom half;

Fig. 7 shows the locking end of the seal in completed form;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 88 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal central cross-section on a still larger scale, showing the end of the strap being inserted in the seal before locking takes place; I

Fig. 10 is a similar view showing the seal fully locked; and

Fig. 11 is a perspective showing how the seal is used.

Referring to the drawings, the blank of Fig. 1 consists of a single piece of sheet metal having slight springiness, such as quarter hard cold rolled steel about .015" thick, comprising a strap 14, the lower end 15 of which is reduced in width and contains a locking aperture 16, preferably having the outline of the letter B, the straight side of Whichis directed toward the upper end of the strap. The pointed opposite side aids in the locking function, as hereinafter described. (The terms upper, lower etc. are only relative and used with reference to positions in the drawing merely for convenience.) The hole 18 is provided for stringing the seals in bundles. At the upper end the blank has a terminal portion 19, a seal top section 20 and a seal bottom section 21, hereinafter sometimes referred to as the top and bottom of the seal.

When this blank has been formed and folded it produces without any other parts a complete seal which may beused as illustrated in Fig. 11, where the seal is generally indi- 2 cated at S, by passing it through a bolt 22 or the like to prevent its removal from a hasp 24 forming part of a conventional lock.

The steps of transforming the blank of Fig. 1 into the completed seal will now be described by reference to Figs. 2 through 8.

In Fig. 2 the outermost end of the terminal portion 19 has been shaped to form the locking tongue 25 which has the curvature of a spoon as may be seen in Figs. 9 and 10. The wings 26 immediately below tongue 25 are bent out of the plane of the blank in the direction of the concave side of the tongue so that this portion of the blank is channel-shaped in cross-section, as may be seen in Figs. 3 and 4. The edges of the top section 20 are bent upwardly and outwardly to produce the sides 28 having outwardly extending flanges 29. The longitudinal edges of the bottom section 21 are turned upwardly to form flanges 30 which are spaced apart by the distance between the outer edges of the flanges 29. Centered roughly two-thirds of the distance from the top edge to the bottom edge of top section 20, this section is depressed to form a dome 31. This dome is shown as having the shape of a segment of a sphere, which is a convenient shape to make but other forms of depression would suflice. In a similar position in the bottom section 21, the metal is pressed upwardly to form a smaller dimple 32. In the segment of the strap.

between the wings 26 and the top section 20 a narrow rectangular slot 34 is punched, long enough to receive strap end 15.

The terminal portion 19 is next twice bent at right angles on the dotted lines 35 of Fig. 2 so that the section of metal 36 between these lines forms an end for the seal enclosure .which contains a portion of the slot 34 which is just slightly wider than the thickness of lower end 15 of the strap. The position of slot 34 in the finished seal may be seen in Figs. 9 and 10. The tip of tongue 25 at this time extends into the dome 31 and above the plane of the inside face of top section 20.

The terminal portion 19 having thus been folded, the top section 20 is next folded over on bottom section 21 by forming two right angle bends on the dotted lines 38 of Fig. 5, so that the section of metal 39 between these lines is formed into another end enclosureand the flanges 29 lie against the inner face of the bottom section 21. The seal now appears as in Fig. 6 and is completed by turning the flanges 30 inwardly, or crimping them, over the flanges 29, after which four short segments of the thus formed edge joints are struck downwardly as shown at 40- (Figs. 7 and 8) to make it more diflicult to pry open this joint without leaving clear signs of tampering.

To facilitate the entrance of strap end 15 into the flat rectangular box-like structure thus formed, through the slot 34, the end wall 36 is then dished slightly inwardly as shown at 41 (Figs. 7, 9 and 10). Slot 34 being on the fold line which is adjacent bottom section 21, the strap end will be guided into the slot by sliding it along the face of the strap and, if it encounters the end wall 41, its dished shape will aid in guiding the strap end into the slot 34.

By these simple forming, bending and crimping operations a completed seal is produced from a single fiat blank of stock, the finished seal consisting of the elongated strap 14 having integral with its top end a flat rectangular box-like enclosure having a narrow entrance slot adjacent the face of the strap through which the lower end 15 of the strap may be introduced.

After the strap has been passed through a bolt or the like as shown in Fig. 11, the strap end 15 is inserted through the slot 34 and locked irremovably inside or" the box. This locking action takes place as follows: Referring to Fig. 9, as the strap end 15 is pushed through slot 34 it is directed upwardly by the concave side or upwardly. sloping. face of. tongue 25 until it encounters the concave under side of dome 31 along which it slides, by which it is directed downwardly under the seal top 20 at the-same time-flexing! the tongue: 25.- downwardly far enough to let-the; strap .passibetween tonguelfi andtopltl; This may tend to bend the end of the strap downwardly slightly. As the strap: end is further advanced the flexed tongue springs bac'lt to? its normal position, in: which its end is within the dome 31, as the aperture 16 dropstover the end of thetongue; Thezpaitsarez now in the position shown in Fig;- =fromiwhiclr it will clearly be seen that itis impossible to; withdraw the'strap. Any attempt to withdraw it; wedges the edge of. the strap underneath: the convex side of. theitongue 25.1 This WilliOlllY lift the tip of tongue 25 into: contact? with. the underside: of dome.

3'1, beyond. which itt cannot. move. The spooni shape of the tongue-makes it veryrigid sothat its holding power is very great asitcannottbe bent .backwardly towardopening34 byfpullingron the strap. Neither canthe'strap: be manipulated to: get it over is above the plane' of; the-inner facerof: top 20. The point of the: B shaped: aperture, by engagementwith the convex slopinglsideoftongue 25;:t'ends to bend'upwardly the portion of the strap: end.v which is beyond: the. aperture, helping it to slide dowirun'derr the: tongue;

The shoulders 42 at: the junction: of strap 14 with its narrower end portion 15' are wider than slot 34"so-that.

the strap can: be inserted in' the seal. only to such a. distance as brings. the shoulders 42into-engagementwith-the end wall 36. The" distance between: aperture 16is suchthatthestrap can be inserted only far enough to bring about the engagement of this aperture with lockinglongue 25.

The dimple 32' is. so positioned. as portion: oft the tongue; 25 to assure tongue lieswithin the. confines of dome. 31. With proper to underlie the root care in the formationof the parts,.the dimple: 32.may be omitted: without detracting". from the above described operation; Furthermore, it is. not strictly necessary: to

provide" the terminal. portion with: the. wings. 26 which.

merely provide addedrigidity to the structure: and: may be: formed at no cost simultaneously with the bending of other parts. from metal which would othenwise'bewaste. It is, therefore, to be understood that these refinements andv other details such aszthe specific shap'es'of the, parts as described, may be omitted or altered without. departthe endof the tongue which the: shoulders and thatthe tip of the amass-s 4 ing from the spirit of the invention as hereinafter defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a seal of the type which comprises a sheet metal strap having a locking aperture near one end, a shallow box having a bottom section integral with the strap at the other end, and a topsection joined to said bottom section, said top section having a terminal portion folded downwardly and inwardly: to: overlie said bottom section within said box, and formed into a tongue extending upwardly from said bottomsection toward said top section, .-the" end of said; tongue being; adapted to snapinto said aperture whenthe end of the strap is inserted into said box; the imprbvementwhiclr resides in said folds in the top section being substantially at right angles and said top section having a slot to receive the strap end which slot is positioned across the fold which is adjacent said'.bottomisection, whereby the strap end may be guided directly-into saidslotby slidingit'along the adjacent portion=othe strap.

2. In a seal of the type which comprises asheet metal strapthavi-ng. a" lockingaperture nearone end, a shallow rectangular box-having,a-bottom'sectien integral with the strap: atuthe; other end,.and a top section joined to said bottom section, said top section having a terminal poi.- tionxfolded downwardly and inwardly to overlie said bottorn section within said box, and formed into a tongue extending upwardlyfromsaidbottom section toward said top section, the endof said.tongue being adapted to snap into said aperture when thev end of the strap is inserted into said-box;.the improvement which resides in said folds in the: toprsectionbeing, substantially at. right angles and said top sectionhavinga slot to. receive the strap end which slot is positioned across the fold which is adjacent said bottomrsection, the wallof said top section adjacent the slotbeing dished. inwardly to guide the strap end into said'slot.

ReferencesCited-inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

